Low Blood Pressure & High Heart Rate Symptoms, Causes & Treatment

The human heart is the most active organ in your body. Apart from it, all the other vital parts of your body get some time to rest and regain their strength, while the heart is always working and pumping blood to all the parts of your body. Even when you are sleeping, your heart is working to ensure blood supply to your body.

Blood pressure and heart rates are directly related. When you are suffering from low blood pressure, heart muscles have to work more to send blood to your body and thus the heart rate increases. The measure of blood pressure is alarming when it gets below 90 millimeters of mercury (systolic measure) and 60 millimeters of mercury (diastolic measure). Heart rate denotes the number of times your heart beats in one minute. For a normal healthy adult, safe range of heart rate is between 60 and 100 beats in one minute. Any variations from this normal range can be dangerous for your health as it can also become a reason behind heart attack.

In this article, we will analyze the major reasons behind low blood pressure and high heart rate. Further, we will also suggest some treatments for this problem.

Causes of Low Blood Pressure and High Heart Rate

Blood pressure and heart rate are the most important indicators of a good healthy body. A balance is needed in these two critical aspects of your health so that you can function properly and without any inhibitions. There are a lot of pathological conditions that can become the cause of this problem. Following are the core reasons behind low blood pressure and high heart rate by the doctors around the world.

Medicines – Certain medicines hurt your blood pressure. They can alter blood pressure in both directions. If you have indeed started to experience low blood pressure after starting a medicine or giving up one, you need to consult with your doctor about the use of that particular medicine.

Neurally Mediated Hypotension (NMH) – A condition characterized by sending of faulty brain signals to your heart, it can cause the blood pressure to get low and heart rate to rise.

Vasovagal Syncope – It is a medical condition in which your blood pressure drops abruptly, and as a result of this drop, the heart rate goes high and then drops. Due to this problem, you can suffer from momentary loss of consciousness, and you might faint as well.

Atrial Fibrillation – People suffering from Atrial Fibrillation have abnormal contractions of the heart which makes the heart beat faster. The amount of blood leaving the heart reduces and you may experience decreased blood pressure.

Endocrine Problems – Hormones released in the body that are linked to maintaining sugar levels, adrenaline levels, and thyroid levels can also become a reason behind low blood pressure and high heart rate.

Dehydration – Lack of water in the body can become a reason behind the low blood pressure and high heart rate. It can also cause some other medical problems as well.

Loss of Blood – Loss of blood through an injury or external bleeding can cause an immediate drop in the blood pressure and a high heart rate.

Septic Shock – Sometimes septic shock can become a reason behind the drop in blood pressure. A septic shock is a shock that your body gets when it is infected from dominant bacteria.

Pregnancy – Pregnant mothers are likely to experience low blood pressure and high heart rate because of the expansion of the circulatory system and other changes in the body. The blood pressure normally returns to normal levels after giving birth.

Malnourishment – Lack of essential nutrients like vitamin B-12 and folate can reduce the production of red blood cells, and this can result in low blood pressure and high heart pulse.

Smoking and Alcohol – When your body does not get the required amount of alcohol and nicotine that it is used to, your blood pressure can go down, and heart rate can increase.

Symptoms of Low Blood Pressure and High Heart Rate

It is imperative for you to know the symptoms of this condition. If you are suffering from any of the symptoms on a chronic basis, you need to get the problem diagnosed and get it treated. The below-mentioned symptoms may vary from one individual to another

Anxiety and stress

Fainting

Chronic headaches

Dizziness

Feeling of discomfort

Weakness

Risk Factors

Low blood pressure and high heart rate can occur to anyone at any time. However, there are some risk factors associated with this problem.

Age – People older than 60 years are more likely to experience low blood pressure and high heart rate.

Diseases – People who suffer diseases like diabetics, Parkinson disease, and certain heart conditions are more prone to low blood pressure problems.

Medications – When you are using medicines that maintain a reasonable level of blood pressure, your body gets dependent on them and hence quitting these medicines can cause a drastic drop in blood pressure. Best way to discontinue such medications is according to the plan given by your doctor.

Treatments

Our body has a natural mechanism to correct the changes in its neutral state. Tachycardia is on such response in which heart rate usually goes above a hundred, and our body naturally tries to streamline the balance between blood pressure and heart rate. Most of the times other methods are needed to ensure a stable relationship between heart rate and blood pressure. These other methods are often dependent on the underlying cause of low blood pressure and high heart rate. In this section of the article, we will explain the methods you can use to achieve this balance.

Water Intake – Providing your body with the required amount of water will ensure that your heart has enough volume of blood to pump to all parts of the body, and hence blood pressure and heart rate stay in the normal range.

Exercise – Exercise helps in maintaining good health. Your blood pressure may increase when you are exercising, but overall it has a stabilizing impact on blood pressure and heart rate.

Salt Consumption – Consuming the daily required amount of salt can increase low blood pressure. However, do not cross the average level of consumption as it can cause high blood pressure as well.

Eating Routine – If you are suffering from low blood pressure, you need to chalk out your eating routine. Make sure that you do not skip any meal and eat small portions after two to three hours as it will keep you well supplied with energy and nutrients. Check our guide to vasodilator foods to increase blood flow.

Be Calm and Composed – When you are suffering from low blood pressure, try to be calm and composed as possible. Change your positions slowly and hold on to something while getting up or when in an elevator. If you are walking and feel a sudden drop in your blood pressure, try to sit down somewhere, relax, gather some energy and then get up. Keep a juice or chocolate with you in case you need an urgent dose of energy.

Treatment of Neurally Mediated Hypotension (NMH) – When you are suffering from NMH, your doctor will usually prescribe you medications and increased intake of salt and water. Treating this problem requires patience and commitment as it takes some time to find the right combination of medicine for you.

Conclusion

We are very confident that now you can understand the causes, symptoms, and treatments of low blood pressure and high heart rate. We want you to lead a healthy life that is why we have spent considerable time doing research for this article and finding the best treatments for you. However, if you still face the issue of low blood pressure, we recommend that you visit your doctor on an urgent basis.